City Council voting on water rate increases today

The proposed San Antonio Water System rate increase was questioned as SAWS CEO Robert Puente recently got a hefty pay raise.

San Antonio City Council postponed the discussion of a potential SAWS rate hike until today, December 7, 2017.

SAWS proposed a 10.5% water rate increase over a two-year period to fund more than $2 billion worth of capital improvement projects primarily aimed at infrastructure repairs. The public utility proposed a 5.8% increase for 2018 and a subsequent 4.7% increase for 2019. If approved by City Council on Nov. 9, the water rate increase would take effect in January.

Robert Puente, president and CEO of the San Antonio Water System, will get a 5 percent pay raise next year and a bonus that will bring his total compensation to $567,480.11. The San Antonio Water System’s board of trustees approved the pay increase, effective Jan. 1, 2018, and a bonus of $99,285.71. The raise will bring Puente’s salary up to $468,194.40 from $445,894.43 currently.

If SAWS can’t do what they’re supposed to be doing while working within more responsible limits, Puente does not deserve a raise & bonus, but deserves to be replaced. He is not even a water expect, he’s a politician.